The Goblin in Daylight
by Saiyaness28
Summary: Morgan is spirited away to Fairie to marry the goblin king. Surrounded by darkness and hideous creatures she loses hope until the unknown goblin prince shows her that there is still a light within the darkness.
1. Prologue

The Goblin in Daylight

The Goblin in Daylight

**Prologue:**

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, there exists a world of magic invisible to the eyes of men. This world is known as Fairie. Many fantastical creatures live in this unseen world: unicorns, elves, dwarves, fairies, and…goblins.

While all the other creatures thrive in the beautiful light of day, the goblins live in total darkness hiding, fearing the light. They are vile, hideous creatures but they are not without, their appreciation for beauty. Many young girls of various races have been stolen by these monsters and dragged beneath the earth to be made into goblin brides. This is especially true for their king who always marries outside his kind in hopes of creating a powerful heir. Most queens have been humans or elves but there was one king who chose a little fairy for his bride.


	2. Little Fairy Bride

Little Fairy Bride

Little Fairy Bride

One morning in the land of Fairie, a pretty silver haired fairy girl fluttered happily around the fairy tree where she and her family lived. Her friends chased her round and round the tree until she broke away from the cycle and began flying towards the Black hill. "Stop! Come back!" they cried, frantically. But she could not hear their small voices from so far away. "You're going to far! The goblins will catch you! Come back!" the fairy children cried, desperately pleading for their friend to return to the safety of the fairy tree. But again their pleas fell to deaf ears.

The little fairies screamed at the top of their lungs and the silver haired beauty twirled around in the air to see what the fuss was about, unfortunately she didn't see the pair of large bluish gray hands reaching towards her until they had her in their grasp.

The hands squeezed her tightly until the tiny girl passed out.

When she awoke she found herself out of the radiant light of the summer day and hurled into compete darkness. She climbed onto her wobbly legs and began feeling for a way out, but as she felt around she was horrified to find that she had been placed in a jar of some kind, imprisoned like a lighting bug by a human child. She beat against the glass with her tiny fists until they ached.

She finally became exhausted and curled into a ball at the bottom of the jar. There was a spark in the darkness and she immediately jolted to her feet. There were several sparks and the room slowly brightened dimly. She appeared to be in some kind of study. There were books all around her on shelves as tall as trees. Across the room there stood a creature unlike any she had ever seen. He was terrifying to say the least with his bluish gray skin, long sharp fingernails, black eyes, bony, bald, head, and long pointed ears. He wore only a pair of torn black breeches, leaving his strong build exposed, he wasn't burly just strong looking.

He grinned devilishly at her, flashing her his pointed teeth. The fairy screamed with fright and beat against the glass again. She was desperate to find any way of escape. She knew now what this thing might be, a goblin. There were so many stories about goblins devouring fairies whole or keeping them as pets until they died in the gloom of the underground tunnels.

The goblin approached her, his steps pounded in her ears. He kneeled in front of the glass, and peered at her with his shimmering black eyes. "Hello there little one. My name is King Leer, I welcome you my kingdom." Said the goblin, his voice was so deep it shook the jar and made her tumble down to the jar floor. "My you are a pretty one aren't you?" the hideous creature cooed as pleasantly as a monster can. "But you are so small, its hard for me to see you clearly." He quickly unscrewed the lid and grabbed her in his clutches, this time much gentler. She squirmed and squealed as she fought against his powerful grip, unable to pry her self-free.

The goblin chuckled and stalked to an open text on a far table. One clawed finger scrolled down a page as he whispered the words to himself. It was some type of chanting. The fairy began to feel very strange, the room shifted and changed before her eyes and the goblin's grip around her loosened. He seemed to be shrinking.

The feeling soon stopped and she looked herself over frantically, she was no longer the size of a thimble, but the height of an average human girl. The goblin still towered over her by at least three heads. She fluttered her wings in awe.

The goblin roughly took her up in his arms and carried her screaming and flailing to a table where he strapped a golden ring onto her ankle. The fairy noticed that he wore a similar one around his left wrist.

The goblin stepped away from her several paces with a toothy grin on his ugly face. The fairy fluttered from the table, attempting to fly away but something unseen held her back, she looked back, the goblin had his arm lifted in the air as if she were tugging it away from his body.

"You're not going anywhere my dear, I have chosen you for my bride, you will be staying here in my kingdom with me until the end of your days." He jerked his arm towards himself sending her crashing towards him. He caught her in his arms and carried her away to bed.

Time went by excruciatingly slow for the fairy down in the depths of the goblin kingdom. Her husband was an unpleasant barbarian who was never once gentle with her. She may not be as tiny as she was before but she was still frail and delicate. The king understood non-of this and ignored her pleas. He never hit her but the way he handled her was far too rough for her delicate body. She had bruises on her arms, legs and other places from where he grabbed her roughly in his passion. She refused to speak to him and that only made things worse.

Though all she saw was a ugly barbarian king, Leer cared for his little bride more than anything else his world, even his own people. However, the fairy was blind to his feelings.

It wasn't long before she began feeling ill and was put on bed rest. The fairy watched her goblin husband pace back and forth in front of the doorway, he seemed to be genuinely worried about her. This little peek at Leer's affectionate side would have brought a smile to her lips if not for the terrible weakness that had attacked her muscles and bones.

King Leer's royal physician, Modo, scurried around the frail queen, checking vitals again and again then went to tell the king what he thought was wrong.

"My lord, I have been studying the Fairy kind since you brought her here and it seems that they are creatures of daylight, they draw their energy from the sun, they are pretty much the polar opposite of us goblins. I believe that being out of the sun for so long has drained her. Perhaps you should let her go back to her own kind, sire, and capture a new bride, perhaps a human." Suggested the doctor. Leer glared down at the four foot tall Modo, "I will do no such thing!" he roared. He crossed his arms and stared through the doorway at his little fairy bride, so frail and ill from months of darkness.

"Have the workers put skylights in one of the tunnels, so that light can come through." Ordered the goblin king. Modo's big round black eyes enlarged even further. "But my lord, the workers will not survive so much sunlight." The king's eyes narrowed, "then so be it, it is a necessary loss." Modo was taken back by the seriousness of the king's voice. He truly didn't care how many of his people died as long as that wretched fairy of his survived. "Very well my lord." He grumbled.

And so the room of light was built, the goblins brought in plants of all kinds, even dug a small pond, and opened up the chamber's ceiling so it would let in all the light they could bare. Several goblins did die while making the skylights but the king couldn't have cared less.

When it was finally done, King Leer carried his little fairy into the room. He wore a black hood and cloak that protected his skin from the harmful rays of the sun. His young wife's blue eyes brightened the minute she saw the sun's light.

Almost immediately she felt her strength returning. She flapped her butterfly wings and raised her arms toward the sky, a shining smile appearing on her face for the first time since she was brought to the underground kingdom.

Leer sat down on the grass and watched her play. Smiling, despite his barbaric nature, as he watched her innocent beauty blossom before his black eyes. He watched her with adoration, looking over every trait that had caught his interest in the first place. Her silver hair, crystal blue eyes, the strange marking that began at the corner of right eye and spiraled down her cheek, the adorable pink-ness of her skin, the way her blue wings fluttered rapidly when she was excited. He knew he loved her, loved her more than anything else, if only she could see just how much.

She danced around in the bright sunshine, twirling about in the cool grass, then lifted into the air as her wings began to flutter. She went up a few feet before the invisible chain that bound her to her husband stalled her. She whirled around to glare sadly at the goblin king who sat like a rock below her, watching her every move.

She gave one final longing glance upward then glided slowly down till she was standing before her husband. He gazed up at her, from beneath the shadow of his hood, taking in the crumpled features of her face. Her lips were quivering, threatening to give way to sobs.

He sighed heavily, "If you will finally speak to me and tell me your name, I will release you from your leash." He promised. His wife quietly knelt down, smiling at him. "My name is Alera." She said in a small voice. Leer was taken back by the beauty of it, it reminded him of the sound a stream made or the sound of a calm wind. How had he gone so long without hearing such a voice! "Speak again." He pleaded, reaching out with shaky large hands to caress her cheek. Instead of flinching away as she usually did at his touch, she held his hand in place on her cheek and grinned at him. "Thank you, Leer. I have missed the Sun." she whispered in her melodic voice then leaned in and kissed him lightly on his pale blue lips. It took him a moment before he was able to move again. It was time he trusted her and freed her from her restraints. He waved his fingers between his bracelet and her anklet and Alera immediately felt a large wait evaporate from around her.

She lifted into the air as high as the ceilings and whirled and twirled in the air, giggling like a happy child. Then landed lightly on a tree branch to study her strange husband. He'd never shown this side to her. As she gazed at him, he gazed at her, both wearing a beaming smile on their faces. He aloud her to play for about an hour more until the light began to make him ill. "Come now Alera, we must go now." He announced, beginning to walk for the door. Alera fluttered down and landed lightly on her small feet. "May we come back tomorrow?" she asked, her voice made Leer smile. "Of course, you may come here anytime you like."

She ran up to him and caught his arm. Poor Leer nearly stopped breathing. His fairy had never been so affectionate toward him. "When I have our son, I will bring him here every day. I can't wait to play with him in there. I'm sure he will love the light." She announced excitedly. Leer couldn't believe how excited she sounded about birthing his goblin heir. The king of his race always had one child, no more than that, and the child was always a male. The birthing was never easy so he didn't quite understand why Alera would be happy about it. "I very much doubt it my dear, our son will be a goblin like me, and we don't like the light. It can kill us." She said, her smile remained in place. "Yes, but he will have fairy blood as well, so maybe the light won't bother him as much." She replied. He shook his head, "Again I doubt it."

Five more years passed before Alera became with child. The birthing was extremely difficult for her for she was a very small woman and goblin children are born rather large, up to twenty pounds!

The young prince screamed at the top of his lungs the minute he came out of his mother's body. His screams were strangely muted, like they were being muffled. He weighed only eight and a half pounds, small for a goblin child. As soon as he was cleaned up he was carried over to his mother so that the king could see his new son.

Alera cradled her newborn and gawked at how strangely pretty he was for a goblin. Leer too noticed this. The baby was gray-blue like all goblins, but he had a head thick of silver hair like his mother's. His big innocent eyes were black, but they reflected the light, shimmering in the dimness, at the corner of his right eye was a fairy marking just a little different from his mother's, it spiraled down his cheek, ending at his jaw, curling up towards his ear. He had ears, like a goblin's, long and pointed. "Oh Leer! He's beautiful!" cried his tired mother. Leer didn't reply.

Alera named their son, Aldrick, for aldrick was the fairy word for the sun.

In fact this name suited him perfectly, whenever Alera took him to play in her chamber of light he didn't fuss nor act sickly. Instead, he giggled and laughed along with his mother, happy to be in the sun. King Leer would watch his little family from the shadows, angry that he could not join them.

Their happiness however was short-lived, When Aldrick was barely eight months old, Alera became very ill. And no amount of sunshine was able to save her. She died, leaving a brokenhearted goblin king and her tiny son alone in the dark underground kingdom.

Leer looked to Modo for answers, asking him with a grief filled voice, how his dear wife had died. Modo told him that the young queen's body was still weak from giving birth and was not able to fight off whatever illness plagued her.

At this, Leer looked down at his son with bitter hatred for the first time. He quickly thrust the baby into Modo's arm. "Find a female who will be willing to take him in. That child is unfit to succeed my thrown." He snarled and stalked out of the room and out of his son's life.


	3. Spirited Away

Spirited Away

Spirited Away

_**Outside the world of magic lies the realm of man.**_

In the tiny English village of Ailsburgh lived two sisters. These sisters, though only minutes apart, were as different as night and day. The older of the girls was Claudia, a tall blonde beauty with sparkling chocolate brown eyes, full pink lips and a figure any girl would be jealous of. Yes Claudia was gorgeous but she was also very cruel. She ordered her little sister around all day making her do chores and dote on her hand and foot, if something wasn't done right or not quickly enough she would be severely punished for it. Claudia was known to thrash her good with her ridding crop.

The younger sister was named Morgan, she in no way rivaled her sister's outward beauty but her heart was the closest thing to pure as you will ever find in our magic-less world. She was a small girl, short for her age, with pale skin, jet-black hair, and jade colored eyes. Her eyes were really the only things that stuck out. The rest of her was plain, and childish. While Claudia looked every bit the age of eighteen, poor little Morgan appeared no more that fifteen.

One evening, Claudia bustled about, slipping on her shoes and fancy hat as she went through the door. She came outside and began to climb onto her waiting carriage, "Morgan, you are to stay here, understood? I want the house spick and span by the time I get back from Master Thomas' party." Morgan sighed and rubbed at the grime on her face. "Yes Claudia." She said in a small voice. Claudia shut the cab door and the carriage sped off down the dusty road.

She heaved a deeper sigh in frustration and fell to her knees. Why in God's name was He doing this to her! What horrible deed had she done to deserve such a horrid sister!

"Hello there!" called a pleasant voice. Morgan's head jolted up to see a man, wearing a hooded green, cloak and black leather boots leaning against the house. She hastily got her feet, embarrassment sending a serge of heat across her cheeks. The man laughed, his shoulders rising and falling rapidly. "Your sister is quite beautiful." Stated the man, glancing towards the road. Morgan's shoulder's slouched slightly, "She is." She replied back sadly. The man turned his attention back to the raven-haired girl with the jade colored eyes. "Too bad her beauty's only skin deep." Morgan's ears perked at that comment. The stranger leaned off of the house and approached her slowly. "I wonder what you look like under all that soot." He mused with a chuckle.

"And I wonder what you look like under that hood." She retorted glaring at him. The man stopped and laughed hysterically. "Trust me you don't want to know." He slowly reached his gloved hand and took hold of Morgan's grimy childlike hand. "I can take you far away from here, to a world you can never imagine." He whispered, spiking the girl's interest. Even though she couldn't see his face, she imagined his eyes smoldering with intensity at her. As if in tune with her thoughts, two blue lights began to glow from the shadow of the hood and Morgan was completely mesmerized by their beauty.

"Come with me." He said in a low voice, and took her by the hand. He began to lead her away into the forest and she gladly complied.

Once they were deep in the forest, Morgan snapped out of it long enough to realize that she was being taken, more or less dragged, to a part of the forest she'd never seen before. "Hey where are you taking me?" she cried, glaring at the green hooded figure. The man turned his head towards her and Morgan thought she caught a glimpse of a strand of silver hair. _Silver hair?_ She thought, _he doesn't sound like an old man. _

They finally came to a clearing and Morgan's strange colored eyes widened when she saw the fairy tree, encircled with white stones. "No!" she screamed, snatching her hand away. All she could think about were the folk tales, she had heard all her life, stories of children being spirited away by the fairy people. The man turned around and sighed, his broad shoulders slouching, over-dramatically. "What's wrong? I told you I was taking you to another world." Morgan gulped and stepped away from him, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to run away. "I-I thought you were joking." She squeaked. "Well I wasn't." said the stranger.

"I don't want to live with fairies!" Morgan screamed with as much venom as her soft voice could manage. The man grew eerily still for a moment, "I am **not** a fairy!"

He quickly waved his fingers in front of the glaring eyes, and she slumped into his embrace. Unconscious, he threw her limp body over his shoulder and carried her to the ring of stones. Inside the fairy ring, he waved his arms around himself and a strange wind began to blow, whispering a few words beneath his breath. The two vanished in a brilliant blue light.


	4. The King, The Bride, and The Magician

The King, the Bride and the Magician

The King, the Bride and the Magician

Morgan's jade eyes fluttered open to a dark room illuminated only by a globe of light that floated freely at the bedside. She sat up and looked around, with groggy eyes. It took her a moment to notice the boy seated in a chair by a small table. She squinted through the darkness to see him more clearly.

"Oh I wish the light were brighter." She whispered to herself. The small round light grew slightly and illuminated the room just enough for the boy's features to be clearly seen. Morgan shrieked at the sight of him. He wasn't human! He was some kind of monster!

At the sound of her scream, the boy's eyes shot open. The flickering light of the orb danced across their dark surface. Morgan leapt from her bed and huddled between the bedpost and a nightstand, still shrieking at the top of her lungs. The boy's skin was a strange blue color, his eyes black, the nails of his hands sharp and long pointed ears peeked out from his mane of silver hair. The boy scowled at her and waved his hand in front of him in a quick gesture. Morgan went silent. She could no longer move her lips, they felt like they were stuck together some how.

"Silence you stupid girl! You're hurting my ears!" He ordered. Morgan recognized his voice, it was the man in the green cloak who stole her away. _YOU!_ She shouted inwardly, enraged both at him and her own stupidity.

The man sat back down and crossed his legs, folding his hands in his lap. "Now if you will stop screaming, I'll remove my little spell." Morgan nodded her head fiercely. He gave her a smirk and with the flick of his wrist, Morgan could move her lips again. "W-what are you?" stuttered the frightened girl. "I'm a goblin, madam. The most feared creature in all of Fairie. And you- are a human- the most pathetic being that God has ever created." He chuckled wickedly at the glare he was getting from the human girl.

"Where am I?" She asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "You are in the goblin kingdom far below the surface of the earth."

The goblin watched with amusement as her eyes began to shimmer with unshed tears, "I have heard stories, of goblins taking girls and…forcing them to…lie with them." Morgan's face went pink. The goblin stared at her for a moment, then smiled a pointy grin, "You mean mate with them?" he asked, translating. "Yes we do, do that." He answered. The pink-ness drained from her face, "Is that what I've been brought here for?" she muttered, her voice cracking, do to fear.

The goblin crossed his arms in front of his chest and slumped down in his seat, "well you certainly won't be mating with _me_." He snickered. Why did every word that came out of his mouth sound like an insult? "You are to be the king's new bride and mother him an heir." His grin broadened, "Won't that be nice, a little goblin baby of your very own to bounce on your knee and feed rabbit carcasses to." Morgan's stomach lurched she felt the need to vomit.

The goblin noticed her face, turn a shade of green and he quickly pointed a finger towards a pale and it lifted into the air and dropped down in front of Morgan. She relieved herself, then went back to asking questions.

"How did you do that?" she asked, wiping her lips with a dirty sleeve. "Magic…just like I shut your big mouth." He answered in a rude tone. Maria's eyes began to blaze unnaturally at him and he abruptly decided to stop teasing her.

There was a loud bonging sound and the goblin looked over at a clock hanging on the wall on his left. "Oh, my shift's over." He announced cheerfully and stood to go.

"Wait!" the girl, shouted, she was suddenly more afraid of being alone than this blue creature, teasing her. He turned back towards her, pulling his green hood over his head. "Don't be afraid, another guard is coming to take my place. You won't be left alone, I promise." Morgan bit her lip, absently, "No, I wasn't scared." She lied. "You didn't give me your name."

He bowed low to her, laughing under his breath, "Aldrick at your service, my lady." He motioned towards her, gazing at her with his dark eyes from under his hood. "And you are?"

"Mogan" she replied. In the warm glow of the magic light she could see his eyes brighten. "Like Morgan la Fait, the sorceress in the King Author legend?" "You know that story?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. "Yes, it's one of my favorites."

A knocking at the door interrupted them. Without waiting for a reply the door opened and a hulking beast of a goblin shrugged through the door. It didn't seem to have a neck, his large and ugly head sat squarely on its shoulders. It had large thick lips and two fang-like teeth on the bottom jaw peeked out on either side. "Hi Biggin." Greeted Aldrick. Biggin nodded, "I'm here to take over." He grumbled in a deep voice. "Alright." Aldrick bowed to Morgan again, bidding her farewell. "I'll be back tomorrow morning to take you to meet the king. Sleep well." He gave her a playful look. "Biggin try not to eat her." He said, and exited briskly, laughing hysterically.

Morgan pulled her knees up to her chest, watching her knew guardian with fear. Biggin stomped over to the chair and sat down, the chair's legs creaked, threatening to give way beneath him. "Is he always like that?" she asked after few minutes. The big goblin snorted, "Yep. I personally think it's his fairy blood that makes him so annoying." Her eyes widened, "Fairy blood?" Biggin crossed his bulgy arms, "Yea, his mom was a fairy. Don't mention it around him though, he hates that. He tries to hide it but that's hard to do when the proofs written on your face." Morgan leaned forward in interest. "Do you mean that mark? I thought it was a tattoo. Biggin shook his head, "Nope, he was born with it. It's a fairy mark. When people see it they know he's got fairy in him and well they give him a hard time about it. They think it makes him weaker but _I_ know they's wrong. He's one of the greatest magicians my eyes have ever seen. And I'm willing to bet his fairy blood is the cause of it."

"Is his mother still around?" she asked. "Nobody knows who his parents were. He was abandoned as a pup on Old Abby's doorstep." "Who's Old Abby?" Morgan asked, she never would have guessed Aldrick who seemed to thoroughly enjoy teasing her, had such a troubled past. "She's the palace cook, she was widowed young and she never did have any youngins of her own, so little Aldrick was probably the best thing to ever happen to her." The ugly goblin laughed, his chest heaving up and down as booming chuckles rang out through the room, "It's not her fault he likes to pester people."

The following morning, Aldrick waited patiently as his mother loaded down a silver tray with a mountain of food. He grabbed an apple when she wasn't looking and chomped down on it. Hearing his loud munching she whirled around on her stubby legs and swatted his hand with a wooden spoon. "Ow!" he yelped like a child. "This food for the King's Bride!" she yelled, harshly.

Aldrick took another defiant bite of the apple, "She's just a little human girl. She can't possibly eat this much in one sitting, mother." He argued, smacking his lips. "Oh just shut up and make yourself useful. Take her food to her." Old Abby handed the heavy tray of food to her adoptive son. Who grudgingly carried it to his new ward, stealing bites of food along the way.

He nudged the door open and set the tray on the small table, stepping nimbly around Biggin's outstretched legs. Aldrick took a slice of toast of the top of the mound and put it in his mouth. Turning around, his breath caught in his throat at the sight of the sleeping Morgan. The dwarf women had given her a bath and she was dressed in a loose white gown. Now that the dirt and soot had been washed away, he was taken aback by her beauty. He thought her pretty before but he never thought this is what lied beneath the filth.

He swallowed the rest of his toast and approached her, using his magic to float soundlessly to her bedside. With a sly smirk on his grayish-blue face, he tickled her bare feet. The girl stirred in her sleep, giggles escaping her lips. Then her foot smashed into his face, sending him crashing to the floor. Morgan jolted upright, pulling the covers around her, "What were you doing!" she shouted angrily. Aldrick groaned as he picked himself up from the floor. "I couldn't resist." He admitted with a sigh. Even with all the ruckus going on in the room around him, Biggin still slept, snoring loudly. Aldrick reached over and shook him awake. The goblin blinked groggily. "Shift's over, buddy." Said Aldrick pleasantly. Biggin got up from his chair and waved good bye to Morgan, yawning as he walked out the door.

"I brought you some breakfast." Said Aldrick, waving his hand towards the buffet set out on the table. Morgan squealed in excitement and skipped to the table. She observed the mountain of food, mouth watering, and quickly began shoving morsels in her mouth.

Aldrick sat Indian-style, hovering three feet in the air as he watched her eat. _I can't believe she's actually eating all that stuff. She eats like…well…like a goblin. _He watched, with his eyes enlarging each time she shoveled another spoonful into her mouth, until the tray was clean.

She sat back in the chair, patting her full stomach in satisfaction. "Ah, that was good. Give my compliments to your mom."

Aldrick lost his track of concentration and fell to the floor. "Ow!" he groaned, rubbing his backside. He glared up at her, blue lighting flashing across his black eyes. "Who told you about my mother?" he asked, between clinched teeth. "Uh…Biggin may have told me a few things about you last night."

A murderous look flashed across Aldrick's face and his silver hair lifted around him, as if he were under water. "Biggin!" he growled.

Just then several Dwarf women bustled through the door, and shoved the fuming Aldrick out the door so they could dress the king's human bride.

After about fifteen minutes, Morgan emerged from her room, dressed in a pink tunic styled dress with a violet sash about her waist, her wrists and ankles were adorned with golden and jeweled bands. Her long black hair was pulled behind her ears with a ribbon, and left to fall down her back. Aldrick gulped, reminding himself that the girl was for the king, not him.

"You look…good." He muttered, turning to walk down the hall so he wouldn't stare at her. As they walked in silence, he could hear her light steps' pitter patter on the marble tiles of the palace floor. He glanced over his shoulder at her troubled expression.

He wanted to tell her all the good things about living in the underground kingdom, but he couldn't really think of many.

"The king's really not that bad you know, once you get past the ugliness, the attitude, and the evil." He laughed trying to show her he was joking, but it only made the girl's lips curve into a deeper frown.

They reached the thrown room doors where two guards stood at attention. "Hey, Raego, look it's the fairy boy." Chuckled the big one with the poof of orange hair on his head. The lanky one with a lizard like face and bulgy yellow eyes snickered. Morgan shivered with distaste for these two.

Aldrick rolled his eyes and thrust his hand forward. A wave of blue light sent the two guards flying. Aldrick chuckled happily to himself and opened the doors for the stunned Morgan.

Morgan gawked at the elaborate decoration of the thrown room. The dimly lit room looked like it was carved from a single slab of marble. It glowed gold in the lighting of the dozen orbs that floated along the walls. The thrown itself, was crafted into a golden tree. The creature that sat on that thrown however didn't look like he belonged.

Like the other goblin's she'd seen so far, he was a gray-blue color with long pointed ears, sharp teeth and finger nails, but he had no hair at all, not even eyebrows and his eyes did not reflect the slightest bit of light.

Morgan froze with fear, her legs trembling too much to move. Aldrick caught her by the arm and dragged her the rest of the way.

At the base of the thrown, Aldrick dropped down to one knee and bowed his head. "My lord, I have captured a bride for you just as you ordered." The goblin king's eyes were already fixed on the young girl with the jade colored eyes.

"What is your name, my dear?" he asked, his voice rough as sandpaper. "Morgan" she squeaked. "Speak up." He ordered. "My name is Morgan, sir." Repeated the girl, louder with a shaking voice. The Goblin King motioned for Morgan to come closer with a clawed finger and the she rushed forward, her feet lifting above the ground. She stopped right in front of him. His eyes, black and seemingly soulless, studied her face and body with a critical gaze. "You've outdone yourself, Aldrick." He complimented, glancing over at his unknown son.

The king looked into Mogan's jade eyes and saw purity there. "She's perfect." Aldrick smiled and bowed, "Thank you sir." The king reached into a pocket in his cloak and tossed a small pouch of coins to him, "For your trouble." Aldrick chuckled, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Actually, she was no trouble at all. She followed me like a lamb to the slaughter." Morgan glared over at him. She was angry enough at herself for being so stupid without him making it worse.


	5. Prisoner

Prisoner

Prisoner

"She will make an excellent queen." Mused the ugly goblin king. "The binding will take place in seven weeks, once you have settled in. I have to go out of town for a while. How does that sound my dear?" Morgan couldn't make her lips form a syllable. She was much too frightened.

The king's eyes shifted to Aldrick, "I'm putting you in charge of her until the binding. You are to guard her with you life. Understood?" Aldrick bowed his head, "Yes sir." Leer grinned at his future bride, "You may go." He waved them away and the two walked slowly out of the throne room, Aldrick supporting the near faint Morgan with a strong grip on her arm.

As soon as they got out of the room however, the girl perked right back up. She smacked him up side the head. A searing pain burned into Aldrick's cheek. "OWWW!," he yelped, holding onto his face. "What was that for?" Morgan glared at him, anger shimmering in her eyes, "I followed you like a lamb to the slaughter!" Aldrick's shoulders slumped, "oh". He rubbed at his throbbing cheek, "It was just a joke, woman, get over it." Morgan huffed in rage and stomped Aldrick's foot. The poor magician yelled out in pain, hopping around on one foot, watching Morgan storm off.

She went back to her room and threw herself onto the bed. She finally let go of the angry and fearful tears.

Aldrick came into the room, intent on casting vengeful spells on the girl, but upon seeing the girl sobbing he lost his nerve. He sat down quietly on the bed's edge, placing a blue hand on Morgan's back in comfort. "Please stop crying. I can't stand it." She shoved him off the bed, "Go away!" He jumped up from the floor with a deadly glare, "Fine." He growled and vanished into thin air.

Morgan sat up, blinking her eyes in confusion as she searched the room for the annoying goblin boy. "Where did he go?"

"Over here, bright eyes." Came a mocking voice from the one widow. Aldrick peered at her from the other side of the window. "How the?" She began to ask, as she approached the window and looked out. She was several stories up, Aldrick was somehow flying without wings! "How are you doing that?" she asked her eyes wide with wonder. Aldrick backed away a bit from the window to show her the blue shimmer at the bottom of his feet. "Must I keep repeating myself? It's magic you stupid girl." Morgan tried to throw a punch at him but he flew out of her reach. He laughed loudly, crossing his arms arrogantly over his chest. "Ugh! You're infuriating!" She spun around on her heels and flung herself back on the bed. "You're the one who keeps hurting me." He said, slipping back in through the window.

Morgan had her back to him, "Please, I just…need to be alone for a while." She said in a quiet voice. Aldrick could see that she was having a heard time adjusting. She was, after all, still little more than a child. "I'll send Biggin to stand watch at your door. If you need me I'll be in the palace kitchen." He then left the room, pulling his hood over his head as he passed through the door.

Morgan turned over to watch him leave. _Why does he hide his face when he goes out? _She wondered, _Is it truly that awful to be part fairy?_

It was a while before Morgan dragged herself out of bed again. She trudged to the small window and peered out at her underground prison. If it weren't for the scattered magical lights, the world would be pitch black. Their lustrous light made it appear twilight. All around the palace, creatures of every shape and size went about their daily lives. Most of their traits appeared the same, blue toned skin, long pointed ears and sharp teeth, but other features didn't belong. Some had body parts of animals in the place of their own. She had never seen such horrible deformities in her life!

What would her own child look like? She shuddered at the thought of the twisted infant. Would she be strong enough to even look at the child? She had always loved children and had always wanted to be a mother, but now, she feared it. _I have to get out of here._ But there was no way of escape. She was too far underground and she didn't know the way. The goblins would catch her before she could get half way to freedom. _I'm trapped, a prisoner of the darkness._


	6. Others

Others

Others

Morgan woke up at the sound of her rumbling stomach. She had fallen asleep without supper and was now painfully hungry. She quickly slipped on the goblin dress and made her way to the kitchen on the lowest level of the underground palace. As she rounded the corner she caught sight of Aldrick's unmistakable silver hair.

He was hunched over the bar, shoveling a thick stew into his mouth. At least twenty empty bowls were stacked around him and he was working on another. On the other side of the bar, a short, round, goblin woman stood on a stool, stirring the concoction. The woman turned her face to see who had entered her kitchen, "Ah, I was wondering when you were gonna get up. Come have seat by Aldrick and I'll get you some rabbit stew. I bet you're starving " Morgan went to the stool and sat down. "Bout time you got up. Do you know how boring it is to watch you sleep?" mumbled Aldrick, his words muffled by the pounds of food he had stuffed in his mouth. Not in the mood for his annoying teasing, she elbowed him in the gut, causing him to inhale his food and start choking. "Oh my god, I'm sorry!" she cried, as he coughed and gasped. He put his fingers to his ribcage and with one jab, he coughed up the blockage.

He took a deep breath and glared at the girl. "You know, I usually don't practice black magic but it's starting to look real tempting."

"Oh stop you're squabbling. It's your own fault for stuffing your mouth so full." Said Aldrick's mother. Aldrick sighed, propping his head up on his elbow. "Sure, take her side. Traitor."

Morgan began to eat her stew, without looking away from her guardian. He actually had a handsome face once you got past the strange colored skin. Aldrick's nose began to twitch as he sniffed at the air. A childish smile appeared. Morgan thought it made him look even cuter. "Is Eliza here? I can smell her apple pie." His mouth began to water. "Please tell me she made apple pie." The old goblin smiled, "Yes. It's still in the oven. Eliza will get it out in a moment, she's in the back with the baby right now."

Morgan put down her spoon, "Who's Eliza?" she asked, curiously. "She's a human like you." Aldrick said, his eyes staring longingly at the oven. "Would you like to meet her?" asked Old Abby. Morgan nodded her head eagerly. At least she wasn't alone down here.

"Eliza!" called Abby. Within seconds a lovely young woman came into the kitchen. She had long golden hair that she piled on top of her head with a kerchief. Her green eyes sparkled with joy. The woman squealed when she saw Morgan and gave her a big hug. She pulled away from the stunned Morgan, a pleasant smile on her face, "You must be Morgan, the palace is in a buzz over the wedding. Aren't you excited?" Morgan shook her head, "not particularly." She answered truthfully.

"Get me some pie, woman!" shouted Aldrick impatiently, slamming his fists on the bar. "That's rude, Aldrick!" Morgan shouted back, putting her hands on her hips. Eliza giggled, "It's okay, my pie is Aldrick's favorite food." She went to the oven, pulled out the pie and sat it in front of Aldrick, who hastily cut himself an enormous slice and chowed down.

"How long have you lived down here?" Morgan asked. Eliza tapped at her lips in thought, "Let's see, I've been married for six years, so Obi brought me to the kingdom about…seven years ago." "Who's Obi?" Eliza's eyes shined at the mentioning of his name, "Obin, my husband, Obi's my pet name for him." She giggled. "He's the captain of the royal guard. Say, want to see the baby?" Eliza grabbed Morgan's hand and pulled her into the back room before she could protest.

The back room looked like it had once been a storage closet that had been transformed into a makeshift nursery. Inside of the crib, sat a little goblin baby. It was a girl with curly blonde hair on her silver skinned head. Her eyes were large and green. They sparkled brilliantly at the sight of her mother. The baby cooed and giggled, reaching her hands towards Eliza. Her took her out of the crib and held her close, the baby snuggled into her embrace. The child had a small pair of white wings jutting out of her back. Morgan gawked in horror at the little girl's strange deformity. "She has wings!"

Eliza smiled, petting the baby's feathers, "She gets them from her father. I love them. Aren't they pretty?" She kissed the baby's cheek and handed her to Morgan.

Morgan held the baby, uncomfortably. But as she looked into the baby's innocent almost human looking face, she felt her guard dropping.

"Her name's Ella. She's my second little minion," giggled the mother, "My eldest, Ebon is hunting with his father." Just as she said this, the door opened and a small child with black wings and hair, and golden eyes came running into the room. A tall strongly built man in a green cloak like Aldrick's followed.

The man pulled away his hood to reveal short black hair and a pair of predatory eyes. Slits served as pupils in the midst of their golden pools. "You're back already?" said Eliza. "We got lucky today." He replied with a smirk.

The two stared at each other for a brief moment. Morgan had never seen such raw love pass between a man and a woman. She decided this must be some sort of Goblin enchantment, she couldn't imagine that Eliza would truly be in love with such a creature.

"I see we have a guest." Said the man, his tiger like eyes shifted to the girl holding the infant goblin. "This is Morgan, the king's new bride." The man's face tensed. His expression seemed to say _poor girl._

He unfastened his cloak and threw it over a chair. Morgan's eyes widened, Obin 's wings were enormous! He took off his gloves and put them with the cloak. His nails looked more like talons.

He approached her with outstretched arms. Morgan took a step back, her legs trembling in fear. "Do you mind if I hold my daughter?" he asked with a bitterly amused laughter in his voice. Morgan blinked away her irrational fear and handed the baby to him.

A smile came to the winged man's face as he held his baby girl in his arms. He was surprisingly gentle with her, careful not to scrape her delicate skin with his claws.

Morgan backed away to the door, staring at the happy little family. The father who looked so much like an angel of death holding the precious baby in his arms and his human wife standing by his side with their eldest son, a little miniature of his father, holding her hand. If only her future would be this wonderful. She doubted it.

Aldrick's head popped through the door, "Come on!" he whined, taking her by the hand and yanking her out of the room.

He tugged her along as they went through tunnel after tunnel. Morgan noticed he had pulled his hood over his head again. "Where are we going?" she asked, tired of getting dragged around like a rag doll. She pulled her hand free and he whirled around with an impatient look on his face.

"Abby wanted me to take you to meet the other captured women. She thought maybe it would cheer you up if you knew you weren't alone down here." He grabbed her by the wrist again and took her down another passage until they reached a pair of thick metal doors.

He threw them open with his magic. It was a library of sorts. The walls were lined with tall bookcases and shelves of herbs. Sitting at a desk with several books opened in front of her was a woman with wavy pink hair and slightly pointed ears. She looked up as they entered, her scowl stayed in place.

"What do you want, Aldrick?" asked the woman. She glanced over at Morgan with a disgusted expression, "And what is that thing doing in here?" Aldrick crossed his arms in front of his chest and smirked slyly at the woman, "You know perfectly well who she is, Lana." Lana's scowl transformed into a similar smirk.

"Hello, Morgan. It's nice to see my beast of a son has finally chosen a suitable bride." Morgan started to blush but the color quickly drained away as her words sank in. "Y-your son?"

"Unfortunately" she sighed, sitting back in her chair. "H-how could you possibly-mother someone like _that_?" she asked, completely confused. This woman was so beautiful and the king was so ugly, she couldn't imagine the ghastly creature that had fathered him.

"Simple, I imagined that he'd be a monster and that's exactly what he is." Her blue eyes glimmered in the candlelight. "My husband, the previous goblin king, Mandred, wasn't as ugly as my son in outward appearance, but his heart was a thousand times more hideous than Leer. He slaughtered my fellow elves and kidnapped me. Locking me away down here with his magic spells. He took away my magic and kept me confined in these two rooms, the library and my bedroom. He visited me only to conceive an heir and once I became pregnant his visits became a rarity. I cursed him, and the child growing in my womb. Whenever I thought about what my child would look like I envisioned monstrosities that would send a grown man into tears. When Leer was born, it seemed I had finally gotten my wish."

"My son is a monster, through and through." She frowned unhappily. "Be careful Morgan, for the heir will be exactly what you make of him. It's your choice. Do you want the goblins to have a good and just ruler or a monster like Leer?" Morgan could think of nothing to say.

"King Mandred has been dead for over fifty years and still I am kept a prisoner by my only son. May fate be kind to you my dear. His last wife didn't last very long."

Morgan's eyes sparkled in interest-Aldrick noticed. "He was married before?" she asked. Lana, brushed a strand of hair behind her pointed ear. "She was a fairy. I haven't a clue what the fool was thinking, bringing a creature so dependant on sunlight down into this perpetual darkness. Poor girl, this place must have been worse than hell for her."

Morgan looked over at Aldrick who was staring at the elf woman with his lips pressed in a straight line. "Do Goblins and Fairies have children together often?" she asked, looking to Lana for answers. Lana gave Aldrick a strange look, like she knew something no one else did. "No it doesn't. Leer and his fairy bride never had any children and she was rarely seen by the other goblins, she was kept a prisoner, as I am somewhere within the palace. As far as I know, Aldrick is the only Goblin-Fairy cross to have ever been born."

Aldrick made a growling sound and stepped between the two women, "That's enough Lana, I brought her here to cheer her up and instead you're frightening her more with your morbid tales!" He led his human ward away without a glancing back. If he had he would have seen a smile on the former queen's face.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken you there." Morgan smiled at him, "I thought Abby was the one trying to cheer me up." She prodded, "It was your idea all along wasn't it?" Aldrick's cheeks blushed purple. He quickly pulled his hood down further to hide it, but it was too late, she had seen it. "It was!" she laughed. After all the jokes and teasing he had done to try to invoke a smile or a giggle, he had to embarrass himself to get a laugh from this odd human girl.

"You were depressing me, I had to think of something before I killed myself." He replied, giving her a teasing smile. She shoved him into the wall of the corridor, "_You_ don't have to marry a Goblin!" she yelled. "I _am_ a Goblin you dolt!" he roared back. Morgan returned his teasing smile, though it looked more wicked on her, "No, you're a Fairy-Goblin." She corrected with a snicker. He slowly took down his hood and turned to face her.

Aldrick's hair lifted into the air as a strange wind blew around him from no apparent point of origin. He was glaring viciously at her and she envisioned flames burning in the background behind him. "I am _NOT _a Fairy!" He hissed. Morgan put her hand to her lips, her face forming a mocking expression, "That's right you're only _part_ Fairy." Aldrick started to say something insulting but shut his mouth when he realized he couldn't deny it.

He turned his back and stomped down the hall. She followed close behind him, having to run to keep up.

"Where are we going now?" she asked, scurrying along. "You ask too many questions." He growled. She pouted up at him, like a mistreated puppy. Aldrick sighed, "There's one more person I think you should meet." He said as they rounded the corner.

They continued their expedition until they reached an underground lake. Only one house stood by its waters, which seemed odd to Morgan, for fishing was a livelihood for most of the villagers of Ailsburgh. "There is only one fish living in the lake, the family who lives in that house are its caretakers." Aldrick informed. He motioned towards the lake and pushed her gently towards it.

Morgan stood by the lake and stared into its clear waters, searching for any sign of life. As she stared, a girl's face began to take form beneath the shimmering water. Morgan screamed in fright. "There's a girl! There's a girl in the water!" Aldrick put a hand on her shoulder and brought his mouth to the girl's ear, "Take a closer look." He whispered.

Reluctantly, Morgan stepped back up to the water's edge. Without warning, a girl with a fish like tail leapt out of the water and came down again with a splash. Morgan got soaked and stood there dripping while Aldrick laughed his head off behind her.

The "fish" as Aldrick called it, was actually a mermaid. She had the whitest skin Morgan had ever seen with silver scales on her tale. Her aqua colored eyes and hair mirrored that of the sea and her ears looked more like fins than actual ears and of course her fingers were webbed.

After Aldrick dried Morgan off with a wind spell, they sat down by the lake's shore and watched her swim. She seemed to enjoy the attention because she kept leaping into the air, doing flips and other acrobatics for her audience. Morgan clapped her hands in praise each time the mermaid performed a trick.

"Beautiful isn't she?" Said a young man's voice. Morgan and Aldrick turned their heads. A young Goblin with wild green hair, blue eyes and webbed fingers like that of a frog's was walking towards them. He wore a pair of torn breeches and a long worn shirt that came nearly to his knees. The goblin was smiling from ear to ear, his face beaming with joy at the sight of the little mermaid.

"Hey Zin, how's it going?" Greeted Aldrick nonchalantly. "I'm good Aldrick, I hope you haven't been teasing our future queen too much." Aldrick smirked back at him.

Zin smiled down at Morgan, "I see you've already met Aquaria." He looked back at the fish girl who was now sitting on a rock at the center of the lake. "She must like you, she doesn't show off to a lot of people."

"Zin" called Aquaria, her voice had an echoing affect to it. "Yes Aquaria, I'm bringing your lunch, just wait a moment." He replied, with an amused grin. "She can speak." Morgan breathed in disbelief.

Zin ran his webbed fingers through his green hair, "That's pretty much the only word she knows." He picked up a pale of fish and waded out into the lake.

Mogan watched in amazement as the mermaid swam right up to Zin, and clutched onto his shirt to pull her-self up to eye level. "Zin" she whispered in her unearthly voice, rubbing her cheek against his in affection. Zin patted her head and handed her a fish. She quickly swallowed the at least three pound fish whole.

He fed her, the rest of the fish then waded back to shore. "She really likes you." Said Morgan, still a little shocked by Aquaria's affection towards the man who kept her as his captive. "My father caught her when I was ten year old, she was just a baby back then, no older than three years of age. She had gotten separated from her mother and the rest of her clan during a storm. My father thought she was beautiful so he brought her home." His eyes narrowed in anger, "She's nothing but something pretty to look at to him."

"What is she to you?"

Zin grew solemn for a moment, "She's my best friend."

"Oh come on Zin, you have the hots for her and you know it, admit it!" yelled Aldrick with a chuckle.

"I think she's pretty is all." Retorted Zin, but Morgan could see in the Goblin's eyes that it was far more than that.

"Zin." Called Aquaria again, reaching her arms out towards him. "I better go, see ya." Zin waved at them and leapt back into the lake and he and the mermaid both disappeared beneath the water's surface.

Aldrick crossed his arms, whistling to him-self as they walked back to Morgan's room. "What's the deal with Zin and his fish?" Mogan asked.

"They're in love, isn't that obvious? Have been since they were kids." Morgan cocked her head to the side, "Really?" Aldrick nodded, "That's not exactly a good thing. Mermaids drown and eat their mates." "Ugh" groaned the girl, her stomach turning at the thought.

"It's kind of like how it was with my folks, playing with your food." He snickered at Morgan's sickened expression.


	7. Something's Fishy

Something's Fishy

Something's Fishy

Morgan stirred in the night, beginning to awaken from a deep dream filled sleep. In her mind, swam the little mermaid girl, her blue eyes fixed on her; those eyes that seemed to see straight through her. The mermaid opened her mouth and a siren's song reverberated from within her.

Morgan's eyes shot open and she jolted upright, drenched in a cold sweat. She was alarmed to find that the song hadn't stopped, she could still hear its bewitching melody.

Aldrick was asleep in his chair by the table, seemingly unaware of the loud singing. Morgan silently got out of her bed and tiptoed past her guard. She was able to slip out without Aldrick waking up. As soon as the door closed, she breathed a sigh of relief.

There was something strange about Aquaria, she couldn't get her out of her mind, no matter how hard she tried. Perhaps it was because she had looked so happy yet so very sad.

Morgan followed the sound of Aquaria's voice back to the underground lake. As she rounded the corner, she saw that Zin was there. Not wanting to be sent back to her bedroom, she pressed herself against the stone wall, and watched.

Zin was sitting on the rock in the middle of the lake, his chest was now bare, and his shirt lay beside him. Aquaria was curled in his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck, singing only to him.

Suddenly, Aquaria's eyes glazed over to black. She leapt with a screech into the waters and thrashed towards the shore. She stopped at the water's edge, continuing to screech at the top of her lungs. Zin hopped off the rock and waded towards her, "What is it Aquaria? Is there someone here?" he asked her, searching the surrounding shadows for an unknown figure.

"Hello? I know you're out there! Show yourself!" bellowed Zin over the mermaid's screaming.

Morgan reluctantly stepped out of the shadows. Both Zin and Aquaria visibly relaxed. Aquria's eyes turned blue again and she reclaimed her innocent beauty. "Morgan?" asked the goblin, his eyes wide with shock. He waded to shore. Morgan waved at him a little embarrassed that she'd been caught. "Hi Zin, I was just following the singing. I had no idea Aquaria had such a lovely voice."

Zin's eyes narrowed in confusion, "You heard her?" Morgan gave him a confused look of her own, "Who couldn't…Wait…Aldrick didn't, _he_ didn't wake up." Zin chuckled deeply, smirking towards Aquaria, "She must really like you, she doesn't sing for just anyone." The smirk vanished, "It's times like this, I wish I could understand her."

"Why does she sing for you? You're the one who keeps her trapped here." Morgan mumbled with an impressive amount of venom. "I'm not the one keeping her here. I've tried to set her free, but she won't stay in the sea. She keeps beaching herself." Said Zin, pain evident in his voice. "What's worse is, my father's going to kill her soon."

Morgan stopped breathing in her horror, "Why!" she nearly screamed. Zin crossed his arms and stared unhappily out at the lake, watching the mermaid swim back and forth as she awaited his return. "My father thinks that if he eats her, he'll live forever. I need to find a way to stop him, we're running out of time."

Aquaria made a whimpering sound and called out Zin's name. "Does she know?" asked the human. The goblin's webbed fingers balled into fists. "She does."

He turned his head towards Morgan, his wild green hair falling away from his forehead, "She had to have called you here for a reason. Perhaps she thinks you can help us."

Morgan wrapped her arms around herself, shaking her head in doubt, "What could I possibly do?" The sound of the fish girl yelling her name made Morgan tense. Aquaria was half way on the shore only her tail still in the water. She parted her pale lips and said Morgan's name again, a smile spread across her face.

"Apparently something." Chuckled Zin. He gave Morgan a pleading look. "Talk to Aldrick, maybe you and him can come up with a plan, a spell, or something." Morgan nodded her head, "I'll try my best."

"Why haven't you asked him yourself?" she asked. Zin's intense blue eyes softened, "because he thinks she's a monster. Aldrick is my friend but I can't believe that." He looked back out at the water as the mermaid peeked at him from over the water's surface. "I cant believe she'd hurt me on purpose."

Morgan sneaked back to her room and found Aldrick waiting, glaring at her with burning eyes. He snapped his fingers and a magic globe light appeared, instantly lighting up the small room. "Where the HELL have you been?" he hissed, baring his teeth. He snatched her by the wrist and pulled her over to the bed. He pushed her onto it, forcibly making her sit there. "Talk!" he ordered, anger burning in the depths of his eyes.

"I-I went to see the mermaid again." Explained the frightened Morgan. Aldrick crossed his arms over his chest and cocked a silver eyebrow, "At three in the morning?" Aldrick watched the pretty human's big round eyes shift as she thought of a good excuse as to why she sneaked out in the middle of the night to go see a fish.

"That's not important!" she shouted in exasperation, apparently giving up on her petty excuses. "Aquaria's life is in danger! You need to help me save her!"

"Let me guess, Zin's old man thinks that he can gain immortality by eating the mermaid's flesh." He watched in amusement as her, already large eyes, doubled in size, "You knew!" she screeched accusingly.

Aldrick slouched back in his chair, "Yea" he mumbled, "I might've heard the old man say something about it."

Morgan started to jump from the bed to beat the crap out of him but Aldrick stopped her with the wave of his hand. It felt as if invisible chains had fastened her to the bed; she couldn't move. "Some friend you are!" she raged, fighting against the magical restraints.

"I'm not going to save that retched thing because if I do I'll lose my friend. If she lives, she'll kill him, do you want that to happen?"

"No, but I don't think she's going to do that. I mean he sits with her in the lake and she sings to him every night. Don't you think if she'd wanted to kill him she would've by now?"

"Mermaids are difficult to understand. They're more fish than human. Their main instinct is to breed it doesn't matter how good the human side of her is, her instinct will always win. I know how much she means to Zin, but I'm not willing to risk his life."

"W-what if she wasn't a mermaid? Don't you have a spell or something that can make her human?" squeaked Morgan, exhausted from her struggling.

Aldrick went silent, lowering his head so that the girl wouldn't see that his eyes were shifting in thought. "I believe there is one, but I do not know it." He admitted. He couldn't help but feel ashamed that after twelve years of studying magic night and day there were still some spells that he hadn't learned.

"Can you learn it…please." Morgan begged, finally giving up her fight for escape.

Aldrick looked at her pleading expression, her beautifully strange eyes shimmering with unshed tears and her full lower lip puckering out in a pout. "Oh fine!" he relented with a sigh. He flicked his wrist and Morgan was freed from her chains. She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck, cutting off his oxygen with her hug. "Thank you thank you thank you!" she giggled.

"Can't…breathe" Aldrick gasped.

The following day, Aldrick and Morgan sat in Aldrick's small and dank room as he practiced the transformation spell that would save Aquaria's life.

As Aldrick poured himself over the spell book, he seemed to have forgotten that Morgan existed. He whispered the spell to himself and waved his right hand in a fluid movement as if practicing sign language.

Morgan watched him from her perch on Aldrick's workbench, with a bored, blank expression on her face. Aldrick was sprawled out on the floor with books scattered around him.

There was a knock on the door and Old Abby waddled through, carrying a tray of cookies and milk from some of the cows they kept in a stable near one of the caves' entrance. She sat the tray down on the table beside Morgan. "I brought you two a little snack, figured you be hungry." She said in a motherly tone, as if speaking to tiny children.

Aldrick didn't even look up from his work.

"Thank you." Said Morgan, biting into a cookie. They were quite delicious.

After the old goblin woman left, Aldrick stretched out his hand towards Morgan, "give me a cookie would ya?" She gave him a cookie and he munched on it, still staring at the pages of the book.

"Does it always take this much studying for one spell?" she asked, taking another bite.

Aldrick turned the page he was reading, "This spell's dangerous. If I mess up, I could kill her. Be patient."

Two days later, there was a violent pounding on Morgan's bedroom door. Aldrick yawned as he opened it. It was Zin, gasping and wheezing, dripping in sweat and seawater.

"What happened?" Aldrick asked his friend, supporting him with his arm over his shoulder.

Morgan sat up on the bed and stared in bewilderment.

"S-she…She…k-killed him!" Zin stuttered his eyes wide with fright. "Who?" yelled Aldrick.

Zin took a deep breath, "My father. He tried to kill her last night and she turned on him." He groaned, his stomach lurching as he thought back to the gory scene. "Oh god Aldrick, there's blood everywhere." Aldrick's eyes narrowed, "Where's the demon now?" he hissed. "I-in the lake." Aldrick started towards the door, but Zin grabbed onto his shirt, desperately. "Please don't. She was just trying to defend herself." Aldrick slung him off, energy pulsing off his arm. Zin was thrown to the floor. "Fool! Don't you see? She'll do the same thing to you!"

Zin raised himself shakily, "Please, I love her." Aldrick hesitated for a moment, giving both Zin and Morgan a look that said_ you're both idiots, _before stalking from the room.

Fearing what Aldrick was about to do, Morgan helped Zin to his feet, and then they both ran after him.

By the time they reached the lake, Aldrick was already there. He was raising the mermaid out of the lake inside a bubble of water. He gestured his hands towards the shore and the bubble followed his directions, coming to float above the sand.

Aldrick glared up at them, "Are you going to help me turn her human or what?" he asked Zin. Morgan had never felt more relieved in her life. Zin smiled and ran to where Aldrick worked. Morgan came too to watch.

Morgan's eyes filled with amazement, as Aldrick's hands flowed gracefully over the water bubble, whispering the spell to him-self. Aldrick began to glow brightly through the gloom of the night, his long silver hair waving about around him as if caught by a whirlwind.

"Look its working" whispered Zin with excitement. Morgan finally looked away from Aldrick and peered inside the bubble. The mermaid was thrashing about wildly but she could see that her fin was beginning to brake apart to form legs.

Aldrick yelled out the last word of the spell and all the energy that glowed around him burst outwards. The bubble splashed against the sand and the now human Aquaria gasped, taking in her fist breath of air.

She was completely nude and Morgan could see that both goblins were blushing. Aldrick looked away, slipped his cloak from his shoulders and wrapped it around Aquaria's shoulders. "There you go." He muttered beneath his breath. Morgan smiled brightly at him for his kind gesture. So all that work he'd put into learning the difficult spell was well worth it, he felt.

Zin took Aquaria into his arms and hugged her tightly. "Oh Aquaria, I'm so glad you're safe." He whispered to her, burying his face into her blue hair.

"Let's leave those two alone." Whispered Aldrick, leading Morgan away. She had never seen Aldrick without his cloak; he was wearing a sleeveless black shirt. Morgan saw his lean-muscled arms and felt herself blushing too.


	8. Love in the Chamber of Light

Love in the Chamber of Light

Love in the Chamber of Light

The following day, after a whole lot of begging, Morgan persuaded Aldrick to take her for a walk around the Goblin Kingdom. He still hadn't gotten his cloak back and he seemed uncomfortable without it. He walked swiftly ahead of her with his head bowed and his hands clinched into fists at his sides.

Other strange looking goblins passed them with snickering faces. Some laughed and pointed fingers at Aldrick who kept his eyes on the road ahead and didn't acknowledge them. Morgan quickened her pace and strode beside him.

To his shock, he felt Morgan's small hand take hold of his. He looked over at her and saw a warm smile and sparkling eyes. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to kiss her but that, he knew, was against the rules. "What?" he grumbled, releasing her hand. Morgan sighed her heart was aching for him.

They walked through a passage with glistening precious stones encrusted in its walls. They came to a small bench and sat down.

"Is that why you wear that hood all the time? People tease you?" questioned the young woman. Aldrick groaned in reply. "Why? You're the greatest magician I've ever seen." Aldrick turned his head towards her, his fingers traced along his fairy marking. "Because I'm part fairy, they don't need any other reason." He said sadly. Morgan took his face into her hands. "You shouldn't let those fools get to you." She smiled slyly, "They're just jealous that they can't work magic like you do." She leaned in and kissed Aldrick's fairy mark. "I think this mark is beautiful." She whispered against his skin.

Aldrick swallowed hard as he pushed her away. The girl had no idea how much he wanted her. He had to push her away before he did something that would get them both killed. "Please." He whispered, his throat tightening. He leapt to his feet, "Let's go." He said continuing down the path.

As they came off the path. They caught sight of Aquaria's new human form running towards them. She was wearing a white dress and her long aqua locks were twisted in a braid. She stopped before them and bowed before Aldrick. "Thank you." She said, her voice still had an echoing affect to it. Apparently the spell didn't turn her completely human, Morgan saw that her ears were still in fin shape and three scars puckered her pale skin where her gills had once been.

Aquaria handed Aldrick his green cloak. Morgan watched with disappointment as Aldrick quickly wrapped himself in it. "What's with the fancy dress?" he asked in his usual rude tone. "I'm getting married." She giggled happily. "Bloody hell!" growled Aldrick with a groan.

"That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you and Zin!" The two women giggled, girlishly. Aldrick sat floating in the air with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Your English is impeccable Aquaria! Is that a affect of the spell, Aldrick?" Aldrick laughed at Morgan like she was stupid, "She's speaking Goblin you twit and so are you. We have to put a language spell on all the women brought here. Aquaria didn't receive hers until last night, but you've had yours for weeks." Morgan glared daggers at him for making her look stupid.

"I best be going. Thank you for everything." Said Aquaria in her soft voice then she skipped back down the path she came from.

"That's so romantic! It reminds me of a fairy tale I heard when I was little." Morgan mused, her eyes shining with delight. "Yea, yea, yea. Let's go!" grumbled the irritated goblin. He pulled her along with him through the dim courtyard.

"Where are we going now?" asked Morgan. "I want to show you something." He replied a strange smile appearing on his lips.

He took her down a tunnel she had never gone down before, it was pitch black in there and she had to rely on Aldrick to lead her wherever they were going.

They finally came to a solid stone wall at the end of the tunnel. Morgan was about to ask Aldrick why he had led her to a dead end when he unexpectedly pulled her to his side and held her tight. Morgan blushed violently at the embrace.

"Hang on." He told her as his hair began to lift into the air. His body took on a transparent look and he began walking forward. Morgan and Aldrick passed through the wall as easily as if it weren't there.

"Welcome to the chamber of light." Said Aldrick with a smile. Morgan couldn't believe her eyes. There were holes in the ceiling above that let in rays of sunshine and trees and flowers grew here where everything else in the underground kingdom was barren.

"Oh Aldrick, it's beautiful!" she cried happily. Aldrick walked ahead of her and came to stand in the light, his arms outstretched to absorb the sun's warmth. He unfastened his cloak and let it drop to the ground. Morgan couldn't remember the last time Aldrick had smiled so much.

He turned towards her and took her hand. "Come fly with me" he said, taking her into his arms. Holding her tightly, he flew with her. At first she was frightened but Aldrick's comforting touch gave her courage and she began to enjoy it. They both laughed as Aldrick did death-defying maneuvers in the air. Morgan's heart was fluttering wildly; and judging by the way Aldrick's chest was heaving against her, his was too. Gathering her courage, she reached up and kissed Aldrick's lips.

Aldrick halted immediately and stopped the kiss. But as soon as he saw the hurt look in Morgan's jade eyes he began it again and she kissed back.


End file.
